A Holiday Album
by entercreativename
Summary: Brief snapshots of each character's winter holiday. Chapters combine towards the end, bringing conclusion to each character's holiday. HouseCameron, HouseStacy, WilsonJulie
1. Chapter 1 Home for the Holidays

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

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**Chapter 1 - Home for the Holidays**

She looked out her window, there was snow everywhere and from downstairs she could hear the sounds and smell the scents of her family at Christmas. She was home, away from her boss, and finally, safe. She dug through her suitcase again looking for her slippers; it was cold here in Ohio. She loved being able to be back home on the farm, sharing a room with her sister.

"What are you doing?" her sister yelled at her gleefully as she came up and hugged her for the fifth time this evening since coming home. She was so glad that her boss for once let her off for more than one or two days at a time - the trip here was long enough that it was better to save up vacation days and use them all at once.

"Oh, just trying to find my slippers. It's colder here than out east."

"Well come on, it's time for Santa to come!"

With that, she and her sister ran down the stairs in the old farmhouse. Once downstairs, she looked around and saw her parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins, and even the family pets all surrounding a man dressed in a red suit. It was family tradition every year that her father played Santa and they each take turns telling him what they want for Christmas. It was tradition that went back for over four generations. Her brother, her nephews, and their children would all continue that.

She sat with some of her youngest cousins on the floor in front of the tree nibbling on milk and cookies; she even held one in her lap who was busy trying to keep his new puppy from running away and eating everyone's snacks. She still could not figure out how, but somehow her entire family managed to fit into that house each year for Christmas. The night was complete with everything she wanted except one thing: him. It didn't matter who "he" was, he could be anyone for that matter, but she just felt alone. How silly! She was surrounded by family, and the one thing she wanted was to be with just one other person, if only she could find and convince him to do so.

Times like this reminded her of her husband that left this life ages ago. She did this all for him. She tried to keep a normal life going, but it was hard. All she wanted to do was regress into something somewhere where she could hide. Home was for that. Yet, she was there and she felt as if she still didn't belong; being widowed in college would do that though.

Her sister came and tugged on her sleeve - it was her turn!

"And what do you want for Christmas my dear?"

She sat in the jolly elf's lap and tried not to cry. She was happiest to be home, happiest to be with her family. Her father saw that she was holding back tears and gave her a huge hug.

"I just don't want this evening to end!" And with that, Allison Cameron cried into her father's arms, a picture of Christmases of yesteryear about to draw to yet another end.


	2. Chapter 2 Silent Night

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

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**Chapter 2 - Silent Night**

He looked down at the chart in his hands. He had pulled the short straw, had to work on Christmas. Not that it really mattered, he was alone here in this country. With both of his parents dead, and no significant other, he felt better working the holiday than being alone at home brooding. Instead, he was surrounded by nurses who were brooding that they were not at home. He sighed, grateful that there was no major change in the patient that lie asleep before him.

He put down the chart, he missed home, if he even knew what home really was. He had been in the states for just a few years now, just enough to still be teased by his boss about being from Australia. He had been alone for so long now that it didn't really seem to matter what was going on. Holiday, weekend, evening, it didn't matter. He knew he wanted comfort and solace from anyone, even if it was her. He looked back at his patient knowing that this was the closest anyone would get to being caressed tonight. He took a chair from the corner of the room, pulled it over, and watched the woman in front of him sleep away her pain and suffering.

He looked back in the patient's chart. She had been in a motor-vehicle accident the night before buying presents, however, she had no family and no one to come visit her. It was the staff's best guess that she was buying presents for charity when she was in the accident. Several people on that evening had tried to find relatives or friends to come and visit, but could not locate anyone. She was young too, that's what really got to the doctor. She looked to be about his age. He felt for her as he was the closest thing she had to family for Christmas; she was the closest thing he had.

He looked at her, it was if he knew her or at least saw himself in her peaceful slumber. She was alone. He was alone. She had been trying to do something good for someone. He was there, watching over her. He could imagine her awake, active. She was beautiful and obviously knew how to take care of herself. He was shocked that someone didn't miss her tonight. He looked closer at her and saw how her chest rose and fell with the mechanical grace of the ventilator that kept her from crossing over.

It was a shame for a Jane Doe to be alone on Christmas, and, he wanted to at least be there for her. He didn't want her to be alone that night as he felt no one should be alone on that night.

He had just closed his eyes when the alarms started to blare for the third time this evening; her condition had never stabilized after repeated surgeries. His patient had suffered from internal bleeding that the surgeons could not repair, and everyone knew that she was going to go at some point. The doctor sighed, called the code, and got to work, trying yet again to pull her from the grasps of death.

They tried.

But they could not save the nameless patient.

Three nurses, himself, and two interns tried for forty-seven minutes to resuscitate the young woman, but could not. Robert Chase looked up at the clock, and called the time of death at 1:26 AM on Christmas morning.


	3. Chapter 3 Oh Come Little Children

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Oh Come Little Children**

The bag in his arms was heavy, but he took solace in what was in it. Every year, he and whomever he was dating, delivered presents to the homeless shelter near the neighborhood where he grew up. He could tell Raquel, a nurse at the hospital who had recently become close with him, was happy to be accompanying him on his mission to play Santa for the girls and boys who did not have enough. He was in a red suit, and she was in a red dress. His parents taught him humility, and it always bothered him that his boss never showed enough of it.

They walked into the shelter and were greeted by the sounds of children happily cheering. They loved Santa. He opened his bag and started handing out the presents; the HHS agency in Princeton provided him with a list of names and wish lists that he and other hospital employees helped to fulfill. Tonight, he helped these children feel special, wanted.

After he was done handing out the presents, he noticed that there was one left in his bag - the name was Sammy Conzueles. He checked his list and asked if Sammy was there. The social worker pointed out a small cot near the corner where a little boy lay asleep with his mother watching over. His doctor's instincts took over - he sent Raquel to the car for his medical bag and went over to the ill child.

As he grew nearer he noticed that the boy was breathing shallow. He saw the boy's mother watching intently, hoping there would be a change in his condition, however, he could tell that without help, there would not be. He asked the social worker how long the boy had been like this. She told the doctor in the Santa suit that the boy fell asleep shortly after dinner. He and his mother had just come in that evening and they knew the boy was ill; they had been watching him for signs of a serious medical problem. He thanked her and approached the mother.

The boy's history was sad, too sad. He had been born with asthma, but the family could not afford medication to help him. His mother was one of the working poor who had been laid off the week before. Since she was in the country illegally, she did not have papers to gain unemployment benefits and lost the apartment she and her son had been living in. He had been ill for a couple of weeks, but she had neither the time nor money to take Sammy to the doctor. All she wanted was for her son to be taken care of this Christmas Eve.

The doctor examined the boy and knew almost instantly that he had pneumonia. It was hard for the boy to cough and clear his lungs. His fever was high. The boy needed to be admitted right away or at least given fluids and antibiotics to help him heal. The doctor explained to the mother what needed to be done and that he could help.

Eric Foreman, Raquel, Sammy, and Ms. Conzueles went to the PPTH clinic where Sammy was then admitted with pneumonia. Feeling sorry for the boy, he decided that he would pay his hospital bills.


	4. Chapter 4 Brazilian Sleigh Bells

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Brazilian Sleigh Bells**

She didn't celebrate Christmas, she was Jewish, so why should she? Instead, she and her siblings surrounded the table at New York's newest hot spot: The Shrine. Every year, she and her siblings gathered to celebrate Hanukkah in style in downtown New York City. The lights were bright and the sounds rang wild with laughter as the family celebrated the festival of lights in style.

The day started out as normal - wake up early, double-check paperwork at the office and then head south to the Big Apple. Just before reaching the New Jersey/New York border, she would meet with friends and family and would share three taxis into the city where they would shop, dine, and wine late into the night.

Her brother stood up. It was custom for him to make his Hanukkah speech at this dinner every year since her father died. She missed him. As a child he would hold her in his arms in his favorite chair next to the fireplace and tell her stories in Hebrew. She had four siblings, so each day of the week was devoted to a different one of them with weekends, and especially the Sabbath, being devoted to the family.

They grew up just outside of New York City, and she loved every minute of it. Her father started a chain of jewelry stores up the Upper East Side. Even though they had plenty of money, it was still hard. Her mother died giving birth to her youngest sibling and her father was left to raise them on his own. So many nights a secretary or another assistant was at their home to help out. After awhile, a maid and a nanny were hired to help out as well, however, it was never the same. But there was one thing they did - Hanukkah. Her father started the tradition of the yearly Hanukkah meal in downtown New York, and the siblings assembled in front of her made sure that they kept the tradition going.

There were a few differences each year though. Three years ago, it was the absence of their father who had succumbed to cancer after fighting for nearly three years. Two years ago, it was the addition of several siblings-in-law. Last year, it was the addition of some nieces and nephews. This year, however, it was decided that they would meet without the children at this meal to honor the memory of their mother and father in their tradition. This year, they wanted to be adults-only and then celebrate with the children the next couple of days.

She picked up her wine and cheered in celebration with her brothers and sisters. Lisa Cuddy was happy to be there, celebrating in tradition, for the honor of her father.


	5. Chapter 5 Adeste Fideles

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Adeste Fideles**

She knew she was cruel, she knew this would hurt him. However, she knew that she no longer wanted to see him as she could tell that he no longer wished to see her. She closed her eyes and cried softly into her drink. Christmas - he ruined it for her. When she married him she thought it was time to convert and give up her Christian roots. She remembers signing the tenaim (wedding contract) at the vort (engagement party); thinking back to that day, never did she imagine this would happen. He promised to her that this would be the end of his flightful days, as this would be the end to hers. She was wrong.

She didn't know whom cheated first, but she knew that he had become more devoted to long hours at the office and that scumbag friend of his. Best man? Whatever - that didn't even come close to describing the scoundrel with the cane that stole her husband from her repeatedly. Despite the rumors, she didn't think that either of them was gay, however, she knew that her husband was more devoted to his best friend than to her.

She looked down into her drink - she had just finished her third highball of the night - when she felt the hot breath of a man whisper into her ear. She wasn't sure of what she heard him say, but he sat down next to her and ordered her another drink. She had not met this man before, and he reminded her of her husband, but only through the guilt and shame she felt for doing this to him. She really did still love him, but she was never sure that he knew how to love back. In the old days, they were inseparable; she would call him at work, he would arrive at hers, and they would make love every spare moment they could. The man next to her whispered something into her ear again, she wasn't sure what but she agreed anyway. Doing anything, going anywhere with anyone, would be better than sitting here in this dive alone crying into her drink.

She had met him at a hospital banquet for the grand opening of the new addition. He was there alone and judging by the tan lines on his left ring finger, it had been recent. She sat down and they hit it off instantly. They had a wonderful evening the night that they first met. She understood that he had been married twice before, but he said he had turned a new leaf and learned from his mistakes. They both believed that he had changed and that he could pull through tough phases of any relationship. What had really changed was his ability to hide in his work.

She looked up; the man that had bought her the last drink opened his car door for her. She got in. Five minutes later, they had arrived at a cheap hotel known for its hourly pay program. You check in, and when you check out, you pay for how many hours you had the room. She had been there before - the night she met the husband she was about to cheat on. He had been living there after his last divorce, as he could not live at his best friend's per his girlfriend's insistence. She got out of the car and the man accompanying her, Scott (he didn't give his last name), handed her a key for room 208. He must have been one of the regulars who rented a room.

She entered and found herself reminded of the night she met him again - the night she now regrets. The man from the bar this Christmas Eve entered with a small bucket of ice and opened a mini-fridge where he retrieved a bottle of cheap generic Vodka. She sat on the bed and opened the top buttons of her blouse; she knew he would want her to. She knew the routine of what she was about to do - she had done it several times in the last month, never finding someone who loved her as much as her husband.

Scott came over to her, handing her a glass of vodka on the rocks. She took a sip and felt the burn of its cheapness go down her throat as he kissed her. They started together, when she suddenly got up.

She couldn't go through with it, not on Christmas.

Julie Wilson stood up, gathered her things, and hailed a taxi to take her home. She could cheat on her husband many times, but she couldn't follow through on Christmas. She went home, saw her husband asleep on the couch, and then went to bed. It didn't matter that they both knew what happened that night, it just mattered to her that she didn't follow through on that evening.


	6. Chapter 6 The Peace Carol

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

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**Chapter 6 - The Peace Carol**

It was late, really late, but she sat on the couch with her husband in her arms asleep. She didn't know how late it was, but she knew that it had been a long day. Her husband had been putting in extra time in physical therapy so he could try to walk for her, even one or two steps, for Christmas. She knew that it was important to him. Her ex-lover told her that her husband resented her for being able to walk. She didn't know whether to believe him or not.

She closed her eyes and held the man in her arms; she loved him but he wasn't what she had before. She missed her ex, but he refused to admit she was right. Car lights flashed into her window again that evening. Even though they lived in a quiet residential neighborhood, tonight, the road seemed very busy. A sports car continually passed the house, annoying her and occasionally waking her sleeping, healing husband. Before the car, some jerk kept repeatedly calling the house, just breathing heavily into the phone. She could never figure out whom it was as getting up to see would wake her husband. She knew he would be concerned, but it was nice to see him asleep in peace for once.

She closed her eyes and heard tires skid away from her sublet. She picked up the phone, called the police, and explained her situation. They had heard of her at the stationhouse before. The officer on the other end of the line told her that they would send a patrol car out to drive through her neighborhood to make sure there was nothing illegal going on. She thanked them, wished them a merry Christmas, and then hung up the phone, her husband still asleep in her arms.

It was a simple Christmas this year. Her husband had expressed that he just wanted to spend time with her for the holiday, and she agreed. She still ordered a few presents for him off of the internet, however, it was a simple holiday. They just barely had a tree in the room, and a few strands of garland decorated the room. Their dinner was simple, Tuna Noodle Casserole made form a box mix. All they wanted was to spend time together tonight, even if it was just like this. She knew her husband was unable to be intimate with her yet due to his physical condition, but she was okay with it.

As she stared into the fireplace she heard police sirens just outside of her home. She turned her head and saw that, indeed, someone had been pulled over outside of her home. She sighed knowing that she would probably need to fill a police report. She shifted her husband onto a pillow and managed to stand from the couch without waking him, the crackling of the fire providing a calm lullaby.

Stacy Warner looked out the window, shocked to see what was in front of her home. She would have no peace tonight.


	7. Chapter 7 Auld Lang Syne

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Auld Lang Syne**

It had been a tough day, one of the worst in a long time. He had a patient die today, and he was closer to her than he was willing to admit to anyone, let alone his wife. He was just glad he had been there for her in the end. His wife didn't understand this, and he wished that she did. He had been home for forty-five minutes and every one of them was longer than the last. He was home alone as she was obviously out again. It started slowly at first; she'd claim to be at work. Then, he'd occasionally see her out on "business dinners." Now, it was just a common understanding that she was sleeping around.

Of course, he did so as well.

The relationship he had woven with his wife early on was built on a trust of understanding that he had changed, and that she changed too to match. But tonight, how could she betray her Catholic past and commit adultery on the holiest of days in the religion she grew up in?

He could never answer that question. All he wanted to do was sleep.

It had been ages since he practiced his religion, and it no longer meant much to him. He sinned, and the more he sinned, the less God meant to him. He had seen so many people die, that in the end, it didn't seem to be about beliefs but rather that you were comfortable and lived a full life.

He knew he did lead a full life. He also knew he was tired and that he didn't want to be in the same bed as his wife had slept in ages before. He went to the cupboard near the stairs and retrieved a pillow and blanket left there for whichever cheating spouse wanted it for the night.

Cheating spouse? Is this what it had come down to?

He took the pillow and blanket, and turned off the light. It had been about fifteen minutes when he noticed a taxi pull into the driveway. She was home earlier than normal tonight? What was different? He knew he should ask but he instead pretended to be asleep as she walked into the room. He could smell the cheap vodka on her as she walked past towards the bedroom.

When he knew she was asleep, he realized he couldn't spend anymore time there. He hated what their relationship had become. So, he picked up his things, put on some clean clothes from an overnight bag, and left to go to the hospital; he had paperwork to fill out on his patient from today.

When he got to the hospital, he could tell it had to have been a rough night for the doctors on-call. A patient, a Jane Doe, had apparently coded three times that evening. He felt bad for her. She had been buying presents for needy children to hand out shortly before the car accident that landed her into the PPTH ICU. He knew that his best friend's foreign doctor was on-call that night there. He felt bad for him and wanted to wish him the best when he saw that the younger doctor was finally asleep. _Lucky kid._ He saw the chart for Jane Doe; R. Chase announced the time of death at 1:26 AM. It was now closer to 2:30.

He got to his own office and saw a new case being referred to oncology: Sammy Conzueles. He opened the file: admitted by E. Foreman for pneumonia. Chest x-ray and blood work showed more than just that though. The kid had full-blown leukemia. Hope ran out of the department chair's heart as he knew he could not save the kid. He closed the file and knew he wanted to be somewhere familiar and comforting, not his office at the hospital.

He put away the files and paperwork. It was too late to be thinking about death. He instead took out his keys and headed for his best friend's apartment.

When he got to the apartment, he noticed his friend's sports car was not there at the time. The door was locked, but no bother since he had a key. He opened the door; his friend was out, leaving his pet rat, Steve McQueen, alone to nap in his little cage on the coffee table. As he walked in he noticed several messages on his friend's answering machine. He wondered who would have called him on Christmas, as he was his only friend, and then he remembered the number of call girls his friend kept well paid. _At least someone is getting lucky._

He took off his coat and sat down. Within a few minutes, James Wilson was fast asleep on his best friend's couch.


	8. Chapter 8 I Wonder as I Wander

_**A Holiday Album**_

A House, MD fan-fic by entercreativename.

Summary: Brief snapshots of everyone's holidays.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just admire what Fox and its affiliates have created.

* * *

**Chapter 8 - I Wonder as I Wander**

Christmas. He hated Christmas. It was just a time for people to go out shopping and get angry with each other for taking the best parking spots at the mall. That's why he was glad that this year, just as in all of the other years, he could celebrate alone with his cane in his car.

The night started out normal enough. Steve McQueen ran around his little exercise wheel, happy to be alive and well taken care of. He had thought of releasing the rat back into the wild after he made a full recovery, but realized how much he enjoyed caring for an animal that could not talk back to him. He took his cane and used it to reach the game controller just out of his reach. A good evening at home was him in a Vicodin-trance, sitting on the couch playing on his old Nintendo (old-school was back in his mind). He was just getting into the game (Super Mario Brothers) when the phone rang. He knew he didn't want to be bothered, so he let the machine get it. Nothing. He went back to the game, and there were still several more calls similar to the first. _Cowardly idiot, just leave a message! _

He had just settled back into the game when the phone rang again. Just like the other times, he let the machine answer. However, this time a woman left a message.

"Um, hi, um, a, it's, a, me," there was a pause before the woman's voice rushed through, "Wanted to say Merry Christmas." And with that the familiar voice of the young naïve woman he worked with hung up the phone leaving the man with the rat and the cane noticeably shaken and alone. He didn't want to hear from anyone tonight, let alone the woman who just called. Although it could have been one of three women he didn't want to hear from, it was the most annoying of them. He would sit all day at the office and see her hurt eyes ogling him from across the room and through his glass walls. Why wouldn't she leave him alone? She knew he wasn't interested.

There was someone else though that he wanted to see - her, his soul mate, the woman he still loved and wanted to take back with open arms but couldn't, as he was still punishing her for her mistake of loyalty to him. Stacy. How he missed her. He would give anything to hear her voice tonight, even if she was one of the three women he did not wish to see or hear.

He could no longer stand to sit alone in his apartment, he needed to get out and see her. He had called Wilson earlier, but he and Julie were apparently still out (together or separate - it didn't matter anymore). As he was putting on his jacket, he received a call from yet another woman on his answering machine.

"Hi, it's me. Just calling to wish you happy holidays and happy Hanukkah. Wish you could be in New York with the Cuddy Clan, but you probably have something else planned instead. See you in a couple of days." And with that the second of three women hung up the phone.

He needed to see Stacy and make her forget about Mark! He found his keys and wondered what she was thinking at the moment, wondered if she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He got in his sports car and drove until he saw the sublet home of his former lover. He drove around the block several times, contemplating knocking on the door to say hello. He wanted to say hello, but for once in his life he hesitated, not knowing what her reaction would be. He imagined her welcoming him into her home for the holiday; deep down he just wanted to celebrate Christmas with the woman he would always love. He called her too, but was never brave enough to leave a message or speak when she answered the phone.

He wanted to hear her voice and see her face.

He circled the block a few more times when suddenly, he was pulled over, and right in front of her house!

The officer came and took his license and registration information. He hoped that this was just about a broken taillight or something, but when the officer mentioned reports of suspicious activity in the area, he began to think otherwise. Instead, he decided to think fast and make up a story. He was on his way from a party back to the Princeton campus when he got lost in this neighborhood. He claimed that he had never been there before. He was looking for a house to stop at to ask directions that didn't have ice-covered stairs. He showed the handicapped parking tag to the officer and then his cane (and gently, as the last thing he needed was to be arrested again). The officer, taking pity on the crippled gentleman (even if he did know he had a record) let him go his own way thankfully. The officer gave him directions to campus and then pulled away, thankfully before seeing Stacy fuming out of the curtains of her home. His gig was up. He put the car in first and drove back home.

When he got back, he noticed a familiar Volvo parked outside his apartment. Wilson. He pulled up behind him, parked, and went inside. Asleep on his couch lay his best friend. He opened the cupboard, took out some cookies and a glass of milk (probably gone bad, but it 's the thought that counts) and left it near Steve's cage for his friend. After giving his new pet a quick treat, he pulled an extra blanked over James before heading to bed, the only person he knew left unchanged by this evening.

He limped into his bedroom, took a Vicodin, and slowly, Gregory House fell into a deep sleep to awake on Christmas morn; his life, unlike the lives of those around him, left unchanged yet again.


End file.
